Truck rams overpass

Driver apparently was looking down at computer for directions.

Driver apparently was looking down at computer for directions.

December 02, 2005|ALICIA GALLEGOS Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- A shipment of Budweiser beer heading to a local beverage company was a bit shaken up Wednesday after the semi it was riding in crashed into the Taylor Street overpass. No other vehicles were involved in the afternoon accident near Coveleski Stadium, and no injuries were reported. An out-of-town truck driver was reportedly looking down at his computer for directions and didn't realize the low height of the bridge, Cpl. Stephen Goen said at the scene. The driver was going south on Taylor Street when his white trailer smashed into the overpass, shearing off about a quarter of its 52-inch-long top. "A lot of times someone doesn't know the area and they're trying to make a delivery," explained Goen. "It just happens." No alcohol or drugs were believed to be a factor, he said. The truck driver, 34-year-old Nathan Behnen, of Carlton Branch, Ill., declined to comment about the crash. His truckload of Budweiser was headed to United Beverage in South Bend from Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis. Employees working at nearby Claey's Candy heard the crash, and many came outside during their break to watch the cleanup. "It livens things up," said David Howard. "I was surprised, especially to see the truck all bent up." A Budweiser truck quickly arrived at the intersection of Taylor and South streets to take over the delivery. Goen said it's not uncommon for trucks to misread low bridges, although the accidents happen more often near the Lafayette Boulevard overpass. A Claey's Candy employee, Archie Morrell, said he had seen two or three accidents in which drivers ran into low overpasses. "I think people aren't paying attention and speeding," he said.